THE NIGHT AT HARRISBURG

O \ A Reminiscence of Lincoln’s Journey to Washington in ’61

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THE NIGHT AT HARRISBURG.

A REMINISCENCE OF LINCOLN’S JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 186..

By Colonel A. K. McClure,

Editor of the “Philadelphia Times.”

ABOUT the ist of January, 1861, I
received a telegram from Lincoln,
requesting me to come to Springfield. It
is proper to say that this invitation was in
answer to a telegram from me, advising
him against the appointment of General
Cameron as Secretary of War. The fac-
tional feuds and bitter antagonisms of that
day have long since perished, and I do not
purpose, in any way, to revive them. On
the 31st of December, Lincoln had deliv-
ered to Cameron, at Springfield, a letter
notifying him that he would be nominated
for a cabinet position. This fact became
known immediately upon Cameron’s re-
turn, and inspired very vigorous opposition
to his appointment, in which Governor
Curtin, Thaddeus Stevens, David Wilmot,
and many others participated. Although
the Senate, of which I was a member, was
just about to organize, I hastened to
Springfield, and reached there at seven
o’clock in the evening. I had telegraphed
Lincoln of the hour that I should arrive,
and that 1 must return at eleven the same
night. I went directly from the depot to
Lincoln’s house, and rang the bell, which
was answered by Lincoln himself opening
the door. I doubt whether I wholly con-
cealed my disappointment at meeting him.
Tall, gaunt, ungainly, ill-clad, with a home-
liness of manner that was unique in itself,
I confess that my heart sank within me as
I remembered that this was the man chosen
by a great nation to become its ruler in the
gravest period of its history. I remember
his dress as if it were but yesterday — snuff-
colored and slouchy pantaloons ; open
black vest, held by a few brass buttons ;
straight, or evening, dress-coat, with tightly-
fitting sleeves to exaggerate his long, bony
arms; and all supplemented by an awk-
wardness that was uncommon among men

of intelligence. Such was the picture I
met in the person of Abraham Lincoln.
We sat down in his plainly furnished par-
lor, and were uninterrupted during the
nearly four hours that I remained with
him, and little by little, as his earnestness,
sincerity, and candor were developed in
conversation, I forgot all the grotesque
qualities which so confounded me when I
first greeted him. Before half an hour-
had passed I learned not only to respect,
but, indeed, to reverence the man.

It is needless to give any account of the
special mission on which I was called to
Springfield, beyond the fact that the ten-
der of a cabinet position to Pennsylvania
was recalled by him on the following day,
although renewed and accepted two months
later, when the cabinet was finally formed
in Washington. It was after the Pennsyl-
vania cabinet imbroglio was disposed of
that Lincoln exhibited his true self without
reserve. For more than two hours he dis-
cussed the gravity of the situation and
the appalling danger of civil war. Al-
though he had never been in public office
outside the Illinois legislature, beyond a
single session of Congress, and had little
intercourse with men of national promi-
nence during' the twelve years after his
return from Washington, he exhibited re-
markable knowledge of all the leading
public men of the country, and none could
mistake the patriotic purpose that inspired
him in approaching the mighty responsi-
bility that had been cast upon him by the
people. He discussed the slavery question
in all its aspects, and all the various causes
which were used as pretexts for rebellion ;
and he not only was master of the whole
question, but thoroughly understood his
duty, and was prepared to perform it.
During this conversation I had little to

By permission, from “ Abraham Lincoln and Men of War Times,” by Colonel A. K. McClure, Times Publishing' Com-
pany, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Colonel McClure’s reminiscence has a particular interest as supplementing the article
by Mr. Cleveland Moffett, “ How Allan Pinkerton Thwarted the First Plot to Assassinate Lincoln,” published in Mc-
Clure’s Magazine for November, 1894, and as relating the same story from the point of view of an actual participant in
the adventure.

92

THE NIGHT AT HARRISBURG.

say beyond answering an occasional ques-
tion or suggestion from him, and I finally
left him, fully satisfied that he understood
the political conditions in Pennsylvania
nearly as well as I did myself, and entirely
assured that, of all the public men named
for the Presidency at Chicago, he was the
most competent and the safest to take the
helm of the ship of state and guide it
through the impending storm. I saw
many dark days akin to despair during the
four years which recorded the crimsoned
annals from Sumter to Appomattox, but I
never had reason to change or seriously
question that judgment.

THE MOST TRYING ORDEAL OF LINCOLN’S
LIFE.

I next met Abraham Lincoln at Harris-
burg on the 2 2d of February, 1861, when
he passed through the most trying ordeal
of his life. He had been in Philadelphia
the night before, where he was advised by
letters from General Winfield Scott and
his prospective premier, Senator Seward,
that he could not pass through Baltimore
on the 23d without grave peril to his life.
His route, as published to the world for
some days, was from Philadelphia to Har-
risburg on the morning of the 22d; to re-
main in Harrisburg over night as the guest
of Governor Curtin, and to leave for Wash-
ington the next morning by the Northern
Central Railway, that would take him
through Baltimore about midday. A
number of detectives under the direction
of President Felton of the Philadelphia,
Wilmington and Baltimore Railroad, and
Allan Pinkerton, chief of the well-known
detective agency, were convinced from the
information they obtained that Lincoln
would be assassinated if he attempted to
pass through Baltimore according to the
published programme. A conference at
the Continental Hotel in Philadelphia on
the night of the 21st, at which Lincoln was
advised of the admonitions of Scott and
Seward, had not resulted in any final de-
termination as to his route to Washington.
He was from the first extremely reluctant
about any change, but it was finally de-
cided that he should proceed to Harris-
burg on the morning of the 22d and be
guided by events.

The two speeches made by Lincoln on
the 2 2 d of February do not exhibit a single
trace of mental disturbance from the appal-
ling news he had received. He hoisted
the Stars and Stripes to the pinnacle of
Independence Hall early in the morning,

and delivered a brief address that was
eminently characteristic of the man. He
arrived at Harrisburg about noon, was re-
ceived in the House of Representatives by
the Governor and both branches of the
legislature, and there spoke with the same
calm deliberation and incisiveness which
marked all his speeches during the journey
from Springfield to Washington. After the
reception at the House another conference
was held on the subject of his route to
Washington, and, while every person pres-
ent, with the exception of Lincoln, was
positive in the demand that the programme
should be changed, he still obstinately
hesitated. He did not believe that the
danger of assassination was serious.

The afternoon conference practically
decided nothing, but it was assumed by
those active in directing Lincoln's journey
that there must be a change. Lincoln
dined at the Jones House about five
o’clock, with Governor Curtin as host of
the occasion. I recall as guests the names
of Colonel Thomas A. Scott, Colonel Sum-
ner, Colonel Lamon, Dr. Wallace, David
Davis, Secretary Slifer, Attorney-General
Purviance, Adjutant-General Russell, and
myself. There were others at the table,
but I do not recall them with certainty.
Of that dinner circle, as I remember them,
only three are now living — Governor Cur-
tin, Colonel Lamon, and the writer hereof.
Mr. Judd was not a guest, as he was giv-
ing personal attention to Mrs. Lincoln,
who was much disturbed by the suggestion
to separate the President from her, and
she narrowly escaped attracting attention
to the movements which required the ut-
most secrecy.

It was while at dinner that it was finally
determined that Lincoln should return to
Philadelphia and go thence to Washington
that night, as had been arranged in Phila-
delphia the night previous, in the event of
a decision to change the programme pre-
viously announced. No one who heard
the discussion of the question could efface
it from his memory. The admonitions re-
ceived from General Scott and Senator
Seward were made known to Governor
Curtin at the table, and the question of a
change of route was discussed for some
time by every one, with the single excep-
tion of Lincoln. He was the one silent
man of the party, and when he was finally
compelled to speak, he unhesitatingly ex-
pressed his disapproval of the movement.
With impressive earnestness he thus an-
swered the appeal of his friends : “ What
would the nation think of its President

LINCOLN'S JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1S61.

93

Copyright, ib'94, by II. W. Fay.

LINCOLN IN 1861.

There arc in existence now but few original negatives of portraits of Lincoln.
Brady made a number, which he sold to the government ; and the portaits of Lincoln
commonly seen are copies of one or another of these, or of the well-known Hesler picture,
wherein Lincoln is shown without a beard. The above portrait is from a photograph
by McNulta, taken at Springfield, Illinois, just previous to Lincoln’s departure for Wash-
ington in January, 1861. It is accounted about the truest portrait of Lincoln ever made.
His friends at home esteemed it so highly that they chose it as the model for a painting
made for the Illinois State-house. The original negative, an old fashioned wet plate, is
very well preserved, and is now in the historical collection of H. W. Fay, Esq., De
Kalb, Illinois, by whose kind permission the present reproduction is made.

94

THE NIGHT AT HARRISBURG.

stealing into the capital like a thief in the
night?’ It was only when the other
guests were unanimous in the expression
that it was not a question for Lincoln to
determine, but one for his friends to de-
termine for him, that he finally agreed to
submit to whatever was decided by those
around him.

Lincoln’s secret departure from Har-
risburg.

It was most fortunate that Colonel Scott
was one of the guests at that dinner. He
was wise and keen in perception, and bold
and swift in execution. The time was
short, and if a change was to be made in
Lincoln’s route, it was necessary for him
to reach Philadelphia by eleven o’clock
that night, or very soon thereafter. Scott
at onee became master of ceremonies, and
everything that was done was in obedience
to his directions. There was a crowd of
thousands around the hotel, anxious to see
the new President, and ready to cheer him
to the uttermost. It was believed to be
best that only one man should accompany
Lincoln in his journey to Philadelphia and
Washington, and Lincoln decided that
Lamon should be his companion. Colonel
Sumner, who felt that he had been charged
with the safety of the President-elect, and
whose silvered crown seemed to entitle
him to precedence, earnestly protested
against Lincoln leaving his immediate care,
but it was deemed unsafe to have more
than one accompany him, and the veteran
soldier was compelled to surrender his
charge. That preliminary question set-
tled, Scott directed that Curtin, Lincoln,
and Lamon should at once proceed to the
front steps of the hotel, where there was a
vast throng waiting to receive them, and
that Curtin should call distinctly, so that
the crowd could hear, for a carriage, and
direct the coachman to drive the party to
the Executive Mansion. That was the
natural thing for Curtin to do — to take
the President to the governor’s mansion as
his guest, and it excited no suspicion what-
ever.

Before leaving the dining-room, Gover-
nor Curtin halted Lincoln and Lamon at
the door, and inquired of Lamon whether
he was well armed. Lamon had been
chosen by Lincoln as his companion, be-
cause of his exceptional physical power
and prowess, but Curtin wanted assurance
that lie was properly equipped for defence.
Lamon at once uncovered a small arsenal
of deadly weapons, showing that he was

literally armed to the teeth. In addition to
a pair of heavy revolvers, he had a slung-
shot and brass knuckles, and a huge knife
nestled under his vest. The three entered
the carriage, and, as instructed by Scott,
drove toward the Executive Mansion, but
when near there the driver was ordered to
take a circuitous route, and to reach the
railroad depot within half an hour. When
Curtin and his party had gotten fairly away
from the hotel, I accompanied Scott to the
railway depot, where he at once cleared
one of his lines from Harrisburg to Phila-
delphia, so that there could be no obstruc-
tion upon it, as had been agreed upon at
Philadelphia the evening before, in case the
change should be made. In the meantime
he had ordered a locomotive and a single
car to be brought to the eastern entrance
of the depot, and at the appointed time
the carriage arrived. Lincoln and Lamon
emerged from the carriage and entered the
car unnoticed by any except those inter-
ested in the matter, and after a quiet but
fervent “ Good-by, and God protect you ! ”
the engineer quietly moved his train away
on its momentous mission.

COLONEL McCLURE AND COLONEL SCOTT
PASS AN ANXIOUS NIGHT.

As soon as the train left, I accompanied
Scott in the work of severing all the tele-
graph lines which entered Harrisburg. He
was not content with directing that it
should be done, but he personally saw that
every wire was cut. This was about seven
o’clock in the evening. It had been ar-
ranged that the eleven o’clock train from
Philadelphia to Washington should be held
until Lincoln arrived, on the pretext of
delivering an important package to the
conductor. The train on which he was to
leave Philadelphia was due in Washington
at six in the morning, and Scott kept faith-
ful vigil during the entire night, not only
to see that there should be no restoration
of the wires, but waiting with anxious soli-
citude for the time when he might hope to
hear the good news that Lincoln had ar-
rived in safety. To guard against every
possible chance of imposition, a special
cipher was agreed upon that could not pos-
sibly be understood by any but the parties
to it. It was a long, weary night of fretful
anxiety to the dozen or more in Harrisburg
who had knowledge of the sudden departure
of Lincoln. No oneattempted to sleep. All
felt that the fate of the nation hung on the
safe progress of Lincoln to Washington
without detection on his journey. Scott,

LINCOLN'S JOURNEY TO WASHINGTON IN 1S61.

95

From a photograph by Brady, now in the War collection of Robert Coster, Esq., by
whose kind permission it was used for the present reproduction.

who was of heroic mould, several times
tried to temper the severe strain of his
anxiety by looking up railway matters, but
he would soon abandon the listless effort,
and thrice we strolled from the depot to
the Jones House and back again, in aimless
struggle to hasten the slowly-passing hours,
only to find equally anxious watchers there
and a wife whose sobbing heart could not
be consoled. At last the eastern horizon
was purpled with the promise of day.

Scott reunited the broken lines for the
lightning messenger, and he was soon glad-
dened by an unsigned despatch from Wash-
ington, saying, “ Plums delivered nuts
safely.” He whirled hrs high hat in the
little telegraph office as he shouted, “ Lin-
coln’s in Washington,” and we rushed to
the Jones House and hurried a messenger
to the Executive Mansion to spread the
glad tidings that Lincoln had safely made
his midnight journey to the capital.

9<5

THE NIGHT AT HARRISBURG.

LINCOLN NEVER BELIEVED HE WAS IN
DANGER AT BALTIMORE.

I have several times heard Lincoln refer
to this journey, and always with regret.
Indeed, he seemed to regard it as one of
the grave mistakes in his public career. He
was fully convinced, as Colonel Lamon has
stated it, that “ he had fled from a danger
purely imaginary, and he felt the shame and
mortification natural to a brave man under
such circumstances.” Mrs. Lincoln and her
suite passed through Baltimore on the 23d
without any sign of turbulence. The fact
that there was not even a curious crowd
brought together when she passed through
the city — which then required considerable
time, as the cars were taken across Balti-
more by horses— confirmed Lincoln in his
belief. It is needless now to discuss the
question of real or imaginary danger in
Lincoln passing through Baltimore at noon-
day according to the original programme.
It is enough to know that there were reason-
able grounds for apprehension that an
attempt might be made upon his life, even
if there was not the organized band of as-
sassins that the detectives believed to exist.
His presence in the city would have called
out an immense concourse of people, includ-
ing thousandsof thoroughly disloyal roughs
who could easily have bee,n inspired to any
measure of violence. He simply acted the
part of a prudent man in his reluctant
obedience to the unanimous decision of his
friends in Harrisburg when he was suddenly
sent back to Philadelphia to take the mid-
night train for Washington, and there was
no good reason why he should have re-
gretted it ; but his naturally sensitive dis-
position made him always feel humiliated
when it recurred to him.

The sensational stories, published at the

time, of his disguise for the journey, were
wholly untrue. He was reported as having
been dressed in a Scotch cap and cloak, and
as entering the car at the Broad and Prime
station by some private alleyway, but there
was no truth whatever in any of these
statements. I saw him leave the dining-
room at Harrisburg to enter the carriage
with Curtin and Lamon. I saw him enter
the car at the Harrisburg depot, and the
only change in his dress was the substitution
of a soft slouch hat for the high one he had
worn during the day. He wore the same
overcoat that he had wcrn when he arrived
at Harrisburg, and the only extra apparel
he had about him was the shawl that hung
over his arm. When he reached West Phila-
delphia he was met by Superintendent
Kenney, who had a carriage in waiting with
a single detective in it. Lincoln and Lamon
entered the carriage, and Kenney mounted
the box with the driver. They were in
advance of the time for the starting of the
Baltimore train, and they weredrivenaround
on Broad Street, as the driver was informed,
in search of some one wanted by Kenney
and the detective, until it was time to reach
the station. When there they entered by the
public doorway on Broad Street, and passed
directly, along with other passengers, to the
car where their berths had been engaged.
The journey to Washington was entirely
uneventful, and at six in the morning the
train entered the Washington station on
schedule time. Seward had been advised,
by the return of his son from Philadelphia,
of the probable execution of this pro-
gramme, and he and Washburne were in
the station and met the President and his
party, and all drove together to Willard’s
Hotel. Thus ends the story of Lincoln’s
midnight journey from Harrisburg to the
National Capital.

Note. — In the July number of McClure's Magazine, Mr. E. /. Edwards will continue his papers
on Tammany with an account of the development , operations , exposure , and punishment of the notorious
Tweed ring. lie will tell the whole story; and many illustrations will accompany the paper. In the same
number Mr. Cleveland Moffett will continue his thrilling stories from the archives of the Pinkerton
Detective Bureau.

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